Vince Gill Reflects on Bittersweet Eagles Membership

Vince Gill says becoming a member of the Eagles was a bittersweet experience because of the circumstances. He joined the lineup in 2017 when the band reconfigured following the death of Glenn Frey the previous year.

“I don’t think it’s a real stretch that I’m in this band. The way I play, the way I sing … it makes pretty good sense," Gill says in a podcast presented by Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shifflet. “It’s a great thrill, but the only reason I’m getting to do it is because something tragic happened.”

Gill says he intends to continue working with the Eagles, while heaping praise on colleague Joe Walsh’s contributions: “I love playing with him. He plays with such great restraint, and that’s what I like. A lot of patience.” Gill also discussed his approach to music: “As a player, I try to play something I would sing. And then when I’m singing, I try to sing something I would play.”

You can listen to the podcast below:

Elsewhere in the interview, Gill recalled refusing an invitation to join Dire Straits in the mid '80s, even though his career wasn’t going well. “It was funny because I wasn’t making any money to speak of,” he said. “Session work was keeping me alive. Jingles and things like that. It would’ve been a great payday. But I told Mark [Knopfler], ‘I just got a new record deal, and if I bail on it, it kind of would be like admitting failure.”

By the end of the decade Gill had secured his solo success. “I turned down the sure thing and bet on myself, and it flipped right after that,” he said.